FEATURED AUTHOR
Kicab Castaneda-Mendez
Published business and process improvement professional with 30 years experience in 21 different industries. Connects with all levels from CEOs to front-line personnel, and different cultures, having worked in five continents. Creative, innovative, flexible problem solver known for designing & implementing systems and processes resulting in increased performance and quality at lower costs.
Biography
Key Accomplishments• Founded and managed award-winning consulting business that focused on company-wide continuous improvement initiatives using the Baldrige Criteria.
• Redesigned, developed, and delivered entire company-wide Six Sigma program in 20 months
• Created and managed Executive Band Black Belt tutoring program
• Designed, developed, delivered consultation and experiential learning for senior managers of large healthcare systems focusing on strategic planning, managing performance excellence, and organizational assessment
• Created and managed internal statistical services for engineering function
• Designed, developed, and delivered workshops for front-line personnel through senior managers on wide-range of topics: statistics, Six Sigma, Baldrige Criteria, cost of quality, strategic planning, process improvement, supply chain management, change management, and employee performance
• Coached, reviewed, and led more than 300 projects with impact greater than $80M; designed and developed IT solutions for projects led
• Authored three books and more than 35 articles, spoke at more than 25 conferences, and gave more than 50 workshops on theory, tools, and applications on achieving performance excellence
• Trained thousands from line operators to CEOs
• Improved processes in the supply chain (marketing, vendors, R&D, engineering, QA/RA, manufacturing, sales), support functions (logistics, HR, IT, legal, finance), and management
Companies as employer or client (partial list): GE Capital, GE Corporate Financial Services, Microsoft, Bausch & Lomb, ITC, Merck, Juran Institute, Bayer, Alcoa, Capsulas Metalias, Whirlpool, Qiagen/Cellestis, Hartford Hospital, Connecticut Award for Excellence, Lee Memorial Hospital
Certifications and Enlistments
Certified Facilitator Trainer (GE), 2005
Certified Master Black Belt (GE), 2004
Certified Master Black Belt & Black Belt DMAIC Trainer (GE), 2003
Certified Green Belt DMAIC Trainer (GE), 2001
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Examiner (1997-1999)
Connecticut Award for Excellence Senior Examiner (1994-1999) & Examiner Trainer (1996-1999)
More than 25 presentations on process improvement at national, regional and local conferences, 1992-2000
Member of 10 health care organizations, 1992-1998 including Advance Editorial Advisory Board Member, AACC Connecticut Valley Section Membership Chair, AARP Quality Advisory Board member, CLMA Quality Award Panel Member, NCCLS Advisor to Evaluation Protocol Area Committee and Subcommittee Chair
Languages Fluent in English and Spanish
Education
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M.A./Statistics: The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), 1981
M.A./Mathematics: The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), 1978
Secondary Teaching Certificate/Mathematics: The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), 1976
Graduate Program/Psychology: Indiana University (Bloomington), 1973
B.S./Mathematics, Philosophy, Psychology (triple major): The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), 1972
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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Continuous process improvement, performance excellence, statistics
Personal Interests
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Backpacking, photography, writing, research, puzzles